The Best Burgers in Maine

From mom-and-pop diners, hole-in-the-wall pubs, and fancy-pants kitchens all across the state, these are the juicy little beauties most worth road tripping for. Did your favorites make the list?

By Joe Ricchio and the Down East staff

Food editor Joe Ricchio put on over 1,000 miles and at least 10,000 calories to bring you this compendium, eating through the recommendations of Down East’s staff, listeners to his weekly radio segment, and an insistent chorus of social media gourmands. His findings? Maine’s burger-sphere is as rich and varied as its overall food scene.

Want a burger with locally raised beef on a house-baked brioche bun with LTO plucked from the garden out back? You’ll find bushels full. Craving the same melty-cheese slider your grandparents once ordered at a Route 1 drive-in? Pull up and flip on your headlights. Daydreaming about a perfectly charbroiled patty with a big old lobster claw on top? Oh, finest kind, bub, finest kind.

Here then, in no particular order, are Maine’s 30 best burgers. Think we got it wrong? Know of a burger we missed? Comment below to let us know your beef — or weigh in on our Facebook page.

Photo: J.K. Putnam

The Burger

McKays Public House

Bar Harbor. $12.99

The most satisfying burger on Mount Desert Island starts with a blend of all-natural beef cuts, muenster cheese, and a brioche bun that’s sturdy and buttery. McKay’s tasty secret sauce is like a mildly spicy aoili (they call it “boom sauce” in the kitchen), but the way to order this baby is smothered in beer cheese and sautéed mushrooms for an extra $2. The shredded lettuce soaks it all up nicely, and whatever spills out is just a dipping sauce for your golden handcut fries. No wonder locals flock to this place even when its jam-packed in tourist season. 231 Main St. 207-288-2002. mckayspublichouse.com

Photo: Glen Charles

The Lamb Burger

Cohill’s Inn

Lubec. $14.95

Good lamb has a kind of barnyard sweetness that you don’t get from beef, and Cohill’s uses marbled ground lamb shoulder with plenty of sweet fat that mingles with the rich, minerally flavor of the meat. The burger comes crowned with a dollop of tangy goat cheese, grilled onion, greens, tomato, and an unexpected cucumber (nice crunch), all stacked on a challah bun. A side of herb-flecked tabbouleh complements the burger perfectly, a healthful alternative to fries. 7 Water St. 207-733-4300. cohillsinn.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

Surf & Turf Burger

Butcher Burger

Old Orchard Beach. $16

“In my opinion,” Butcher Burger owner Kevin McAllister says, “from July to October, the 1- to 1¼-pound soft shells, within 5 to 10 miles of the coast, are the sweetest-tasting lobsters on Earth.” Not insight one expects from a burger joint, but since McAllister’s a lobsterman in the off-season, you can trust the Surf & Turf is no mere gimmick. His kitchen crew piles succulent claw and knuckle meat onto their house patty — a custom grind that includes bacon — then slap it in a fluffy-sweet Hawaiian bun with mayo. If there’s a Maine-ier burger out there, we haven’t found it. Closed mid-Sept.–mid-May. 8 West Grand Ave. 207-937-2324. butcherburgerme.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

Double Cheeseburger, Loaded

Harmon’s Lunch

Falmouth. $5.25

How to order hungry at this 57-year-old, cash-only roadside stand: Get two double cheeseburgers (they’re small and cheap) with everything on them (that’s sweet red relish, grilled onions, gooey American cheese, and mustard — don’t even bother asking for lettuce or tomato). Add a small fry that you should douse liberally with malt vinegar. The Harmon’s burger patty is thin and griddled fast-food style, then served on a hot buttered roll that’s cloudlike in texture and somehow even better when the heat causes little pieces of napkin to stick to it. This place hasn’t changed since 1960. There’s no need. 144 Gray Rd. 207-797-9857.

Photo: Joe Ricchio

Double Cheeseburger

Two Rivers Lunch

Allagash. $5.75

Two lean patties, ground up the road in Fort Kent, are layered with American cheese and, as the kitchen explained on our last visit, “anything else we have in the fridge that you might want.” It’s the kind of simple, nicely charred burger that makes you nostalgic in winter for barbecue season. For $3.75 more, add a side of what the locals call “mixed fry” (it’s poutine everywhere else). Fries made with Aroostook potatoes are covered with a blend of shredded cheeses and then doused with velvety gravy. If you’re feeling it, go ahead and stack a handful on the burger.
75 Dickey Rd. 207-398-3393.

Photo: Joe Ricchio

The Big Boy Burger Basket

Burger Boy

Caribou. $6.95

No Aroostook road trip is complete without a stop at Burger Boy, a retro diner that dates to 1968, although it’s self-consciously ’50s inside. The thick, 5-ounce patty is piled high with cheese, pickles, lettuce, and tomato, all on a classic sesame seed bun (a surprisingly rare sighting on this list). Expect toppings and condiments (generous glops of ketchup, mustard, mayo, and relish) to overflow the one-hand burger. This is where the mountain of fries comes in. The paper basket also includes coleslaw, just like in that old cliche, “as American as a burger and fries and coleslaw.” 234 Sweden St. 207-498-2329.

Photo: Joe Ricchio

Kim Burger

Al’s Diner

Mars Hill. $6.50

Who’d have guessed that unassuming Al’s — a vinyl booths and paper placemats kind of place on Mars Hill’s quiet Main Street — serves up the Platonic ideal of a patty melt? It starts with the thick bread, baked in-house, toasted, and well buttered. The burger patty is engulfed in stretchy, stringy mozzarella cheese and served over sautéed sweet peppers and mushrooms. Al’s “Petal Sauce” is a little like Big Mac special sauce, but with more of a bite, and there’s just a little crunch from the iceberg lettuce and tangy pickles. It’s served with ridged potato chips, and you’re going to want one of Al’s house-baked cookies.
87 Main St. 207-429-8186.

Photo: Chris Siefken

Primo Patty Melt

Primo

Rockland. $20

Some 200 miles and a culinary universe away from the patty melt at Al’s Diner, Primo grinds its own blend of grass-fed beef from Maine’s Cold Spring Ranch, then stacks up two 4-ounce patties topped with aged gruyère, caramelized onions, and a special sauce that blends house-made mayo and hot sauce. The soft bun is studded with nigella, sesame, and poppy seeds. Served with fries and mixed greens, this is the patty melt elevated — and about what we expect from a kitchen run by James Beard Award–winning chef Melissa Kelly. 2 Main St. 207-596-0770. primorestaurant.com

Photo: Stephen Beckwith

Bacon Buffalo Burger, Loaded

Melby’s Market and Eatery

Waterford. $8.99

Surprisingly hard to find in Maine, bison meat has a gamey flavor and makes for a nice, dense burger. A leaner alternative to beef, it’s a little healthier, so naturally you’ll want to drape it in bacon. Little Melby’s — one part diner, one part convenience store — has made bison the cornerstone of its menu for decades. Find the lunch counter lined with snowmobilers fueling up on these in winter. 927 Valley Rd. 207-583-4447.

Photo: Mark McCall

Classic Burger

Nocturnem Draft Haus

Bangor. $14

The magic here is in the cheese, a blend of six different varieties, made with herbs, garlic, and chives. And since it’s finished with whatever IPA on the rotating tap handles the staff deems their fave, each batch of the creamy beer cheese is a bit different from the last. Nocturnem makes its own thick-slab bacon, should you choose to add it, and the buttered brioche bun holds it all together. Barely.
56 Main St. 207-907-4380. nocturnemdrafthaus.com

Photo: Stephen Beckwith

The Ruger Burger

Ebenezer’s Restaurant & Pub

Lovell. $14.99

A mushroom, onion, and cheddar burger that could go up against any in the country. Mushrooms and onions are cooked in sweet-cream salted butter and Worcestershire until they’re essentially a thick sauce, which is then ladled onto an Angus sirloin patty and topped off with melted cheddar. Ebenezer’s is, of course, a beer bar of national repute, so pair this savory monster with a bottle of funky, sour Cantillon Gueuze. 44 Allen Rd. 207-925-3200. ebenezerspub.net

Photo: Chris Siefken

The Seven Napkin Burger

Owls Head General Store

Owls Head. $8.75

As the name implies, this may not be the ideal snack to enjoy on the go. The staff in the tiny kitchen starts with a whopping half-pound of freshly ground beef, coddling it into a still-loose patty and searing it to give it a nice crust. The juggernaut of a burger is then transferred to a buttered, griddled bun and overstuffed with onions, cheese, lettuce, tomato, pickles, mustard, mayo, and ketchup. Food Network Magazine called it the state’s best burger some years back. It’s certainly among the messiest. 2 South Shore Dr. 207-596-6038.

Photo: Cara Dolan

The North of the Border Burger

A1 Diner

Gardiner. $7.99

Canadian bacon and cheddar cheese on A1’s warm, soft pretzel bun would be a delightful sandwich by itself, but the inventive folks behind Gardiner’s much-loved restored 1946 dining car build this one around a nicely seasoned patty made with locally sourced beef. It comes with hand-cut fries that are perfectly crispy (but alas, south of the border in so far as they lack gravy and curds). Guy Fieri is one noted A1 enthusiast, and who are we to argue with the mayor of Flavortown? 3 Bridge St. 207-582-4804.

Photo: Jamie Walter

The Gucci

The Bag & Kettle

Carrabassett Valley. $12.50

Apres-ski consumption of a “Bag burger” is practically a religious rite around Sugarloaf, and the Gucci is one of the pub’s “gourmet designer” variations (we’re also fond of the Dior and the Armani). A hefty flame-broiled beef patty is topped with mozzarella and layered with pepperoni strips on both sides, an unholy union that comes on sourdough next to a bed of the Bag’s famous curly fries.
19 Village West. 207-237-2451. thebagandkettle.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

House-Smoked Burger

East Ender

Portland. $14

When co-owners Karl Deuben and Bill Leavy first gifted the world this beautiful little burger, it was from the confines of their now legendary Small Axe food truck, and they called it the “Smokestack Lightning.” It’s a pretty accurate descriptor if you pay the extra $2 for the crunchy, slightly spicy shishito peppers, which nicely complement the cold-smoked Caldwell Family Farm beef. Mayo, ketchup, and Monterey Jack all come standard, on a bun from South Portland’s Southside Bakery that’s like brioche, but softer. The thrice-cooked fries in their own little pail are a nice touch. 47 Middle St. 207-879-7669. eastenderportland.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

The Burger

Chaval

Portland. $12

Upscale versions of the Big Mac are a dime a dozen, but the smoky, grilled Caldwell Family Farm beef on Chaval’s burger calls to mind nothing so much as the flame-broiled Burger King Whopper. The resemblance is furthered by a dollop of “tomato-mustard,” umami-rich roasted tomatoes blended with two kinds of Dijon. Cucumbers from Buxton’s Snell Family Farm become “Lex’s pickles” (named for a line cook and brine whiz), and the whole thing sits between brioche buns liberally spiked with black pepper. Add $4 worth of hand-cut fries. (Or not. Have it your way.) 58 Pine St. 207-772-1110. chavalmaine.com

Locations in Portland, South Portland, Auburn, Lewiston, and Biddeford. $8.49

If you’ve visited this ubiquitious New England sandwich shop chain only for its subs, you may be surprised to learn you can ask for the innards of the tasty Steak Number 9 sandwich atop a double cheeseburger. That’s onions, peppers, mushrooms, and American cheese smothering two beef patties and a pile of grilled sirloin. Gourmet it is not, but what other burger on this list can you get delivered? Five locations in Portland, South Portland, Lewiston, Auburn, and Biddeford. dangelos.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

The Terlingua Burger

Terlingua

Portland. $14

Only available on the Sunday brunch menu (hence the fried egg, a $2 addition), the Terlingua burger starts with a well-marbled, roasted-garlic–spiked beef patty, sourced from Bethel’s Middle Intervale Farm. Bacon jalapeño jam adds just the right salty-spicy punch, and for another $1.50, you can choose your cheese: cheddar, American, or bleu. Brunch at Terlingua is the one time it’s appropriate to order a hamburger at a terrific barbecue joint. 52 Washington Ave. 207-808-8502. terlingua.me

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

The Big Foie Burger

Central Provisions

Portland. $14

It’s been called the burger that will restore your faith in brunch. Chef Chris Gould’s creation would be delicious even if it were no more than a house-made onion roll sheltering a burger patty, heirloom tomatoes, bread-and-butter pickles, lettuce, onion, American cheese, and Big Mac–ish special sauce. But what nudges it into genius territory is the silky foie gras mousse whipped with cream cheese (which, according to Gould, keeps the foie from melting out). So decadent. So good. 414 Fore St. 207-805-1085. central-provisions.com

Photo: Cara Dolan

Whoperburger

Fat Boy Drive-In

Brunswick. $4.25

For many on the lower midcoast, it’s not summer until they’ve pulled up to the neon beacon of Fat Boy, flipped on their headlights to attract a carhop, and requested a Whoperburger, a squat little dynamo of a paper-wrapped burger. Cooked to order, it’s a 4-ounce patty with lettuce, tomato, and secret “Whoper” sauce (like a sweeter mayo) on a steamed sesame seed bun. Wash it down with one of Fat Boy’s famous extra-thick frappes, made with blended ice milk. Closed mid-Sept.–March. 111 Bath Rd. 207-729-9431. fatboydrivein.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

The Slab Burger

Nosh

Portland. $13

The burger menu at Nosh is not big on sublety. Pass up the one with pork belly (for amateurs) and the other with fried mac and cheese buns (a gimmick) and instead have at this behemoth. Provolone, red pepper marinara, and pesto top a standard Nosh patty, a blend of beef, pork, and herbs. Then the pièce(s) de résistance: two fat wedges of Sicilian-style pizza from Nosh’s sister restaurant, the aptly named Slab. Remove that toothpick at your own risk. 551 Congress St. 207-553-2227. noshkitchenbar.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

The Corner Burger

Owl & Elm

Yarmouth. $14

The meat is the star at Yarmouth’s quintessential village pub, a blend of ground chuck, brisket, and short rib from Maine Family Farms. Owl & Elm laces the meat with its own steak sauce and tops the burger with smoked cheddar from New Gloucester’s Pineland Farms and a slaw of lettuce, tomato, red onion, and pickles. Both sides of the buttered brioche roll are slathered with garlic aioli. Comes with a funny little basket of superb house fries that you half expect to still be glistening from the deep fryer.
365 Main St. 207-847-0580. owlandelm.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

HS Double Double

Hot Suppa

Portland. $10

Paying homage to the West Coast’s iconic In-N-Out Burger, Hot Suppa’s version keeps it real with slices of American cheese, but elevates with Maine-raised beef from
Maine Family Farms — a blend of brisket, chuck, and rib fat — along with a crusty kaiser bun. As with the best In-N-Out
varieties, the Double Double gets some sweet-and-sour contrast from caramelized onions and dill pickles, and as at In-N-Out, there’s a “secret menu,” of sorts — ask for the fried green tomatoes with remoulade sauce for an extra $6. 703 Congress St. 207-871-5005. hotsuppa.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

The Big One, Loaded

Rapid Ray’s

Saco. $5.30

The folks at Rapid Rays have been grinding their own beef every day since the iconic fast-food joint opened as a food truck in 1953. The Big One is the restaurant’s classic offering, laden with melted American on a toasted bun. Ask for it loaded and you’ll get mustard, relish, chopped onions, and tomato. Wash it down with a half-pint of chocolate milk, which Ray’s is equally famous for. 189 Main St. 207-282-1847. rapidrays.net

Photo: Cara Dolan

Double Cheeseburger

Roy’s All Steak Hamburgers

Auburn. $5.19

Officially, it’s Roy’s All Steak Hamburgers & Golf Center, one of the stranger places in Maine to find a mom-and-pop burger worth traveling for. Roy’s grinds chuck steak daily to make its thin patties, which it sets inside spongy-soft buns, layers with melted white American, and tops with condiments of your choice. The double burger is still practically a slider — even with a basket of hand-cut crinkle fries, you may want more than one. You can always work off the calories on the driving range or in the batting cages. 2514 Turner Rd. 207-782-2801. roysgolf.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

Cheeseburger Dinner

Bob’s Clam Hut

Kittery. $11.45

A burger from a fried-seafood stand? Look, bub, owner Michael Landgarten recalls the heyday of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in the ’80s and ’90s, when “we would get these large takeout orders consisting of almost all cheeseburger dinners, with maybe one lone clam dinner in the mix.” These days, the quarter-pound cheeseburgers, made with beef ground at Kittery’s MEat butcher shop and served on oh-so-soft Martin’s potato rolls, continue to bring out visitors’ inner longshoremen. A basket includes fries, slaw, and not one but two burgers. 315 Rte. 1. 207-439-4233. bobsclamhut.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

The Palais Royale

Palace Diner

Biddeford. $14

A towering, diner-style burger at Maine’s best counter-and-stool joint. In the middle of the Palais Royale, a third sesame seed bun separates two beef patties, each one thin like a fast-food burger and each topped with its own layer of melted cheddar. Ribbons of shredded iceberg lettuce and a stack of pickles add some refreshing crunch. No special sauce here, just mayo and mustard (save the ketchup for the mountain of thick-cut fries that accompany the burger). 18 Franklin St. 207-284-0015. palacedinerme.com

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

Smokehouse Burger

Third Alarm Diner

Sanford. $10.99

A juicy 6-ounce sirloin patty topped with slab bacon, crispy onion rings, BBQ sauce, and American cheese, the towering Smokehouse Burger has (and needs) a steak knife driven through it to hold it together. Comes with fries, chips, (more) onion rings, or fried pickles, but the real tough choice is which of the diner’s boozy milkshakes to wash things down with. 47 Washington St. 207-490-0557.

Photo: Michael D. Wilson

Black Angus Burger

Stonewall Kitchen Cafe

York. $12

The cafeteria attached to Stonewall’s retail flagship may seem like an unlikely destination for a great burger, until you remember that Stonewall Kitchen’s whole schtick is adventurous and high-quality condiments. To a grilled half-pound Angus patty, Stonewall adds its knockout roasted-garlic-and-onion jam, along with some Bibb lettuce and tomato. You can dress it up further, but anything more than a couple slices of Swiss, for an extra $2, is gilding the lily. 2 Stonewall Ln. 207-351-2719. stonewallkitchen.com

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8 Comments

October 25, 2017

autwilb

As a lifelong vegetarian and a huge fan of Portland’s own Blue Mango Veggie Burgers – I was disappointed to see their burgers overlooked on the best burgers list. Many of my carnivore friends adore these burgers as well and often choose them over beef. We are fortunate to have Wilton’s Calzolaio Pasta Company nearby who serve them and our local Hannaford carries them as well so we can prepare them at home. For those of you who have not tried Blue Mango yet – unwrap each burger, heat up some oil in a skillet, crisp them up on each side, and be prepared for a real treat!

October 27, 2017

Chip Stratton

Can’t believe that the version of Camden’s Drouthy Bear, the Drouthy Burger, didn’t get mentioned. Truly one of the very tastiest burgers I have ever eaten. It looks like I’ll have 30 more places to compare it to, though!

October 27, 2017

Michael Zecker

We used to love the burger at the Whale’s Rib Tavern, the restaurant at the Pilgrim’s Inn on Deer Isle, but when we went there in July of 2015, after being away for three years, they had stopped serving it in the main dining room.
I had made a reservation for dinner, and my husband and I were really looking forward to that burger, but it wasn’t on the menu.
We asked our waitress if they had taken it off the menu, and she said the owner and chef had decided to only serve it in the very small pub, and not in the main dining room.
I asked very nicely if my husband could have the burger in the dining room, and explained that we hadn’t been back to Deer Isle for three years, and that he was really looking forward to it.
She said, “I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
I wanted to say, “Why not? The food is all made in the same kitchen. You just have to make a right and head towards the dining room, instead of hanging a left to the pub!”
We did ask if we could move to the pub, but it was packed. I think it only had seating in there for maybe twelve people, including the bar.
I briefly thought about leaving, but we stayed, and the food was good, as it always had been.

…but that was the last time we ate there.
We live in New York City, and we go to Maine to get away from snobbishness and too many rules.

From what I’ve heard, the Pilgrim’s Inn has a new owner, and I have no idea what the food is like now at the Whale’s Rib, but when I glanced through this list, and didn’t see the Whale’s Rib burger listed, I thought, “Well, if they were still serving that burger in the dining room, they would have made the list.”
Having said that, this list made my mouth water!
We have eaten at Primo in Rockland, and it is delightful and delicious.
Hopefully we will try their patty melt next summer.
Thinking about it will help me get through the winter!

November 12, 2017

epaminondas

The new owners are fabulous. We stayed there before, and then 4 days in June. Big improvement. Food quality superb. Go back

November 12, 2017

Michael Zecker

Thanks, Epaminondas!
Looks like we will be staying in Belfast for a couple weeks this summer, house-sitting for a friend who will be away in Europe.
We will definitely give the Whale’s Rib another try.

November 12, 2017

Prudence Lezy

The Bacon Tree in Winterport makes a mighty fine burger, IMO.

December 18, 2017

Robyn LeGrand

I enjoyed this story and thought it would be worth a try to visit all 30 places in the next year. I found myself in Portland and “Angelos” was the closest. Having never been there, I gave it a try. The counter person stated they didn’t serve burgers. I showed her the article and she was surprised. She figured that the story was about a particular steak bomb type sandwich but that they didn’t even stock hamburger buns. Add to this, the ketchup and all condiments are kept behind the counter and you have to ask for anything. BNapkins and plastic ware are kept at the cash register. You can’t even find a salt packet in this place. The bathroom was locked and you needed a key. Clearly, this place did not deserve my visit last night. I wish I could post the photos of my “burger”. I’ll try sharing my photos on the Facebook page. No problems with the staff at Angelo’s, but the DownEast staff might need to revisit this place as the staff there claimed they did not sell burgers, only a sliced steak type sandwich similar to a steak bomb. On a scale of 5, I’d give them a 1. I would not return. I felt sorry for their staff, they were very friendly. If it’s one of Maine’s Best Burgers you are looking for, keep going.

January 1, 2018

BrianKevin

Hey Robin. Hmmm, maybe a location that doesn’t hew to the chain’s usual menu? (See it here, with a whole section for “steak burgers” on the bottom center of page 2: https://www.dangelos.com/static/assets/pdfs/DA_Take_Out_Menu_T-25_Corp.pdf). I’m not sure what else explains your experience. Our lead writer on this piece has eaten the burger at multiple D’Angelo locations, and our photographer showed up at the Portland location, ordered the burger described above, took it to a table, and photographed it (see the image above). Sorry the place you stopped gave you such a hard time.